Readers, writers, groups and organisations are invited to participate in the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement 2007 by nominating an outstanding New Zealand writer in the genres of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Worth $60,000 each, the annual awards recognise writers who have made a significant contribution to New Zealand literature.

Image: Previous recipient Margaret Mahy.Readers, writers, groups and organisations are invited to participate in the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement 2007 by nominating an outstanding New Zealand writer in the genres of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Worth $60,000 each, the annual awards recognise writers who have made a significant contribution to New Zealand literature.

Image: Previous recipient Margaret Mahy.Alick Shaw, Acting Chair of Creative New Zealand, said the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement are a highlight of the literary calendar.

"This is a great chance for the public to pay tribute to those New Zealand writers whose work they most admire," Shaw said. "By nominating writers worthy of this honour, you're ensuring that your choice will be considered in the selection process."

All eligible nominations will be assessed by an expert literary panel and recommendations will go to the Council of Creative New Zealand for approval.

Fiction includes novels, short stories, plays, children's fiction and scriptwriting. For non-fiction, writers across all disciplines (e.g. biography, history, travel, culture, the environment) are eligible and the main determinant is the quality of the work.

Nominated writers must be New Zealand citizens or resident in New Zealand. They should have written a body of work that has received national acclaim and/or international recognition.

The Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement were established in 2003. Previous recipients are not eligible for consideration in other genres. The complete list of recipients is:

Fiction: Janet Frame (2003), Maurice Gee (2004), Margaret Mahy (2005), Patricia Grace (2006)

Poetry: Hone Tuwhare (2003), Kevin Ireland (2004), Alistair Te Ariki Campbell (2005), Vincent O'Sullivan (2006)

Non-fiction: Michael King (2003), Anne Salmond (2004), Philip Temple (2005), Judith Binney (2006)

The awards are administered by Creative New Zealand.

Nomination close at 5pm on Friday 15 June 2007. Nomination forms are available from any of Creative New Zealand's offices (Auckland Tel: 09-373 3066; Christchurch Tel: 03-366 2072; Wellington Tel: 04-473 0880). You can also download the nomination forms from the Creative New Zealand website.

Alternatively, simply email your nominations to Creative New Zealand, including a brief statement about why you have nominated the writer/s.